Portable hydraulic press



Jan. 2, 1951 B. N. ASHTON ET AL 2,536,709

PORTABLE HYDRAULIC PRESS Filed Deo. 31, 1948 2 sheets-sheet 1 FIGI INVENTORS. Y BENJAMIN .ASHTON ESSENE V. RKOW @mymwawww THEI ATTORNEYS.

Jan.`2, 1951 y B, N, ASHTON ET AL 2,536,709

PORTABLE HYDRAULIC PRESS INVENTORS. J IN N. ASHTON E V. BARKOW THEIR ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 2, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Y K ingston, N. Y., assignors to Electrol lI ncorporated, Kingston, N. Y., a 'corporation of Dela- Ware Application December 31, 19.48,;Serial No. 68,568

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in .de- Vices Yfor punching holes in metal. It relates particularly to an improved form of portable hy-v draulic punch Whchmay be used for punching holes in light or heavy metal sheets or articles, .Such as `for example, in the webs of railroad rails and the like.

y'lhehydraulic punch embodying :the present invention is characterized by the provision of a strong casing in which are housed the reservoir for the hydraulic fluid, a manually operated pump preferably of the reciprocating type, ahydraulic ram of which the punchv forms the piston rod .and a selector valve whereby the fluid may be directed to either end of the hydraulic ram to advance or retract the punch. The casing is provided with a :heavy C-Shaped arm which is ydirected outwardly *.-from one end of the YCasing and .has its free end facing the cas-ing in-alignment with the punch to yprovide an ,anvil ier Supportllsthe article being punched. The C-shapedarml is so designed that it will easily receive a railroadjiron withthe web thereof properly-positioned for .perforation by the punch, In order to regulatenthe position of the punchwith `respect to the Web of the rail, t he C-shaped arm may be .provided with a gauging element which rests upon the top 4,of the rail, and, being adjustable, permits a hole to be punched at any desired height vin the web of the rail.

y l'uriches of the type .embodying the invention, While capablel of exerting .extremely high pressures nevertheless are so compact as to render them readily portable and are particularly vsuitable for use in the eld during track laying v.operations andfor many other purposes.

Fora .better understanding of .the .present invention, reference may be had to the .accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 isl a -view in side elevation of a typical form Yof `.punch embodying vthe present invention, the punch being illustrated in use for punching holes .in the .web of a railroad rail and being lpartly broken away to disclose Vdetails thereof;

Fig. 2 isa view in section `taken online ,2 2 of Fig. i1:

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic layout of the hydraulic circuitfor the lpunch with ,the pump and vthe selector valve mechanism shown in section; and

Fig. 4 is a view in section .taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The form of punch chosen for purposes of illustration is of .a size suitablefor punchingvholes in the Webs oi railroad rails, and, as vindicated aboye, Yespecially suitable Afor lthis pur-pose because member 21 having a central opening 2.8.

2 0f lthe-f. .itre111:.elv high punching pressures .der v eloped by the devi-ce.Y

The punch includes, as shown in Figs. l and 2, a casing portion Ill, which, in side elevation, is ci generally rectangular shape and may be a casting Aof iron, steel or other suitable metal, In end view, as shown in Fig. 2, the top II of lthe casing Ip is generally rectangular and f orms the outer walls and top of a reservoir I2 for receiving hydraulic fluid. The lower portion I3 ofthe casing is generallysemi-cylindrical forming the walls .of the cylinder I4 of the hydraulic jack or ram I 5. The right-hand-portion IB of the casing is offset slightlyl from the .top portion II to fQlm a space Ifor reception of a selector valve unit Il.

vThe upper leftehand corner ,ci the .casing I'Il, as shown in Fig. l, is .provided with a generally Cesiraped rigidarm I8 which is curved outwardly and down'warclly so that its `iree .ende L9 is opposed to the lower end cf ithe casing generally V,n alignment with and opposing the ram or jack I5. The end .of .the arm vI9 .may be provided with a Vhardened faceplate 23-forming the anvil Afor the punch `211 which is actuated :by the LVram l1 5. Acentral recess 22 ,is provided ,in theanvil 2i! and `the end 1I 9 of l.the arm for receiving the end of the punch 2 I.

AAs .shown in Figs. 1 ai`1d"3,A the reservoir I2 is of generally rectangular shape and may be lled with hydraulic fluid through the opening 2 3 in the top of the .casing which is vclosed by means of a suitable threaded plug 24. 4The ybottom of the reservoir I2 is provided with va .raised boss25 :which v surrounds a bore 2 6 in which is received an exteriorly threaded flanged sleeve The sleeve member` `2'I forms thelseat for a .ball .valve v'Ml whichislocated inthebore 2.6 and is normally urged upwardly .against ythe sleeve l2l by `means of the spring 3.0 seated against the bottom .of the bore 25.

A laterally directed 4port .3l connects the bore 26 with a horizontal ubore ,32 which forms .the cylinderrof the .pump 3 3 for supplying liquid .under pressure Sto .the ramer .jack l5. The pump 3.3 includes va generally Acylindrical piston member ,34 of less `diameter than the cylinder .3L

The ypistonrod is reciprocable in a sleeve v35 threaded .inte Vthekend .of the .boreor cylinder 32, the sleeve also being-used tocompress a 4suitable ,packing 36 ,against a shoulderv .3l in the bore to Vprevent leakage around .the piston 34.

The piston 34 is provided with anapertured enlargement 38 .on its outer .end which is slidingly pivotally connected to a pump handle .33. Theplower end of the v handle 39 is ,connected .by

means of a pivot 39a to an arm or bracket 39h projecting from the right-hand end of the casing I0.

As the piston 34 is moved to the right, it withdraws liquid from the reservoir through the sleeve 21 and past the ball valve into the cylinder 32. Upon movement of the piston 34 to the left, it forces the liquid out through the passage 4U at the left-hand end of the cylinder 32 to the selector valve |1 which is best shown in Fig. 3. The selector valve |1 includes four ball valve units 4|, 42, 43 and 44, all of which are similar. The ball valve unit 4| includes a closure cap 45 which is threaded into the upper end of a bore 46 extending downwardly through the shoulder portion I6 of the casing and communieating with a, bore portion 41 of reduced diameter. The threaded closure cap 45 is provided with an internal recess 48 for receiving the upper end of a coil spring which urges a ball valve member 49 downwardly against the shoulder 50 at the junction of the bore portions 4S and 41. The ball 49 may be lifted upwardly by means of a plunger member slidable in the bore 41. The plunger 5| is actuated by an actuating cam member 52 which is rotatably mounted in a circular bore 53 extending inwardly from the righthand end of the casing lil, as viewed in Fig. 1. The cam member is provided with an actuating lever or handle 54 by means of which the cam member 52 can be rotated in the bore 53. The cam member is retained in the bore by means of a threaded sleeve member 55 which is threaded into an enlarged portion 5B at the right-hand end of the bore 53. A port or passage 51 is formed in the casing below the seat 50 of the check valve unit and is connected to the reservoir. The check valve unit 44 is exactly like the check valve unit 4| and its lower port 58 is also connected by the passage 59 to the reservoir.

The check valve units 42 and 43 are similar to the check valve units 4| and 44 but the seats 60 and 60a of these valves are disposed at a higher level and intermediate the passage 4D which communicates with the bores above these valves and the passages 6| and 62 which are connected to opposite ends of the cylinder of the jack or ram I5. The passages 6| and 52 also communicate with the check valve units 4| and 44, respectively, above the seats and balls of these valves.

The check valve balls of the selector valve |1 are so arranged that the valve units 4| and 43 open simultaneously and the valve units 42 and 44 remain closed. Also, the selector valve may be actuated to open the valve units 42 and 44 while the valve units 4| and 43 are closed. The selector valve 1 may be placed in a neutral position with all of the check valves closed.

Operation of the valves is produced by rotation of the cam member 52, which, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, is provided with four cam faces 52a, 52h, 52C and 52d formed in part by the outer periphery of the cam member and in part by a curved portion of smaller radius of curvature.

Referring to Fig. 4, the shorter radiusV portion of the cam surface 52d is displacedY angularly from the curved portions of shorter radius of the cam surface 52e. The cam surfaces 52h and 52a correspond to the cam surfaces 52d and 52o so that when the cam member 52 is rotated counterclockwise from the position shown in Fig. 4, the check valve vunits 42 and 44 are open. When the cam is rotated clockwise from the position shown, the valve units 4| and 43 are 4 open while the other Valve units remain closed. In the position shown in Fig. 4, all of the valve units are closed.

The hydraulic ram I5 may be of any desired type and may include the cylinder I4 which is formed by a bore extending inwardly from the left-hand end of the casing and closed by means of a suitable annular threaded closure cap 63 having an opening therethrough through which the punch 3| extends. The punch which may be removed and replaced with a punch of different size is fixed to the piston 64 which may be provided With a peripheral groove 65 receiving an annular rubbery piston ring 66.

In operation, the C-shaped arm may be slipped endwise over the rail and is positioned so as to bring the punch 2| into alignment with the area to be perforated. The punch may be positioned by means of a gauge block 61 which is rotatably mounted on the end of a heavy threaded shaft 68 threaded through the arm I3 and provided at its upper end with a handwheel 69 for adjusting the gauge block 61 vertically. The selector valve is then turned to a position in which the valve units 4| and 43 are open and the valve units 4| and 42 are closed. The pump handle 39 'is then rocked back and forth drawing liquid from the reservoir l2 and forcing it through the passage 40 through the check valve unit 43 into the passage 62 and into the right-hand end of the piston, thereby urging the piston and the punch 2| toward the left into punching relation to the railroad rail R shown in Fig. 1. Any fluid to the left of the piston iiows through the passage 6| past the open valve 4| into the reservoir I2. By making the piston 34 of the pump and the piston 64 of the ram l5 of suitable relative size, a very high pressure can be exerted at the punch so that steel webbing one-half an inch thick or even thicker can be perforated readily by the apparatus.

The punch 2| may be withdrawn by turning the selector valve so that the valves 42 and 44 are open and the valves 4| and 43 are closed. With the selector valve in this condition, liquid is forced by-the pump through the Valve 42, the passage 6| into the left-hand end of the jack or ram I5 while the liquid to the right of the piston flows through the passage 62, the open valve 44 and through the passage 58 to the reservoir. In this way, the full power of the unit may be exerted for withdrawing the punch from the perforated metal article. A

From the preceding description, it will be apparent that we have provided a very compact and powerful self-contained portable hydraulic press which is capable of punching holes in relatively heavy metal and at the same time is of sufficiently light weight and small size to permit it to be transported readily and to be used in the field or in the shop when heavy metal articles are being handled.

It will be understood that the device is sus-1 ceptible to considerable modification, for example, diiferent specific forms of pumps and selector Valves may be used in the unit and the size and shape of the parts may be varied as required. Therefore, the form of the invention described above should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

l. A hydraulic punch comprising a casing, a hydraulic jack in said casing including a piston provided with a punch extending from one end of said casing, an arm extending outwardly from said casing above said punch and curved downwardly and inwardly to provide a free end opposing said punch, a pump in said casing including a reciprocable piston, a pump handle pivotally mounted at the end of the casing opposite from said one end, means connecting said handle to said piston, a reservoir for liquid connected to sad pump, passages connecting said pump, jack and reservoir, a four valve, four port selector valve interposed in said passages between said pump, jack and reservoir, a rotary cam member for selectively opening the valves of said selector valve in pairs to selectively connect one end of said jack with said pump and the other end with said reservoir, and an actuating handle on said camshaft at said opposite end of said casing.

2. A hydraulic punch comprising a casing, a hydraulic jack in said casing including alpiston provided with a punch extending from one end of said casing, an arm extending outwardly from said casing above said punch and curved downwardly and inwardly to provide a free end opposing said punch, a piston type pump in said casing, a manually actuated means for operating said pump, a reservoir in said casing for supplying liquid to said pump, passages connecting said pump, jack and reservoir, a four valve, four port selector valve interposed in said passages between said pump, jack and reservoir, a rotary cam memu ber for selectively opening the valves of said selector Valve in pairs to selectively connect one end of said jack with said pump and the other end with said reservoir, and an actuating handle on said camshaft at said opposite end of said casing.

BENJAMIN N. ASHTON. EUGENE V. BARKOW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 167,975 Barnes Sept. 2l, 1875 545,777 Cornell Sept. 3, 1895 1,129,652 Dom Feb. 23, 1915 1,675,369 Messinger July 3, 1928 2,313,348 Kvapil Mar. 9, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 621,270 France Jan. 31, 1927 

